Nicholson praises CA on participation growth

Australian Cricketers' Association Chief Executive Alistair Nicholson has praised Cricket Australia on the National Cricket Census results released today.

"To be the number one participation sport is a great result for our game," Nicholson said.

"Cricket Australia have provided an opportunity to millions of Australians to play the national game, which is a fantastic achievement."

"The National Cricket Census demonstrates that the game is in terrific health, on the back of an unprecedented growth in the sport over the past five years."

Nicholson also praised the players for their role in this result.

"The players are the gateway to the fans and are the inspiration for boys and girls all over the country to want to emulate their heroes"

"The players really have embraced their responsibility to grow the game and should take a lot of pride in the role they have played in getting us to this point."

"The way they play, the way they embrace technology and the way they engage the fans are all reasons why cricket is the sport of choice for so many Australian's."

As a direct contributor to the growth in participation, the ACA Past Player Program facilitated 723 game development appearances in 2015-2016, providing ACA members with opportunities to give back to the game at the grassroots level.

"This is the third year of this program which has given opportunity to over 300 past players to deliver almost 1,900 coaching session during this time."

"We look forward to working with Cricket Australia to continue to grow the game across all levels."

For further information, please find the Cricket Australia release here.